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Many craft vodkas market heavily on their use of local grain, but locality only goes so far when it comes to standing out in a crowded market. Most vodkas in the current market are based on spirits from just four ingredients: corn, rye, wheat, or potato.

Same ingredients, same mouthfeel, same taste. 

We believe consumers spending $6.6 billion in the vodka market want to spend that money on something different. We believe that consumers want something better, and to believe in something as much as we believe in our product.

The spirit of QURI vodka is one of respect. Respect for the people and land that are responsible for producing the greatest quinoa in the world. And respect for the painstaking process of distilling fine premium spirits.

*This is Juancito. He and his family hand sow and harvest the quinoa that goes into every bottle of QURI vodka.

The process of crafting QURI starts with the world’s best quinoa, which we source from a Peruvian family farm located on Lake Titicaca and next to a dormant volcano. The quinoa is transported to our distillery where we initiate the process by milling, cooking, and mashing the grain.

Then, in our special 45 gallon fermenters, we utilize 5 different types of yeast in our fermentation process. These yeast strains were hand selected to develop a more robust flavor profile; as far as we know, we’re the only distillery in the world to utilize this specific fermentation technique.

Once fermentation is complete, we slow distill a total of 3 times. The first two take place in traditional copper pot configuration and contribute to the end product’s smooth finish. The third distillation takes place in a vodka column standing over 20 feet tall, which helps produce a purity up to 96%. 

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In order to proof the vodka down to 40%, we add perhaps our second most important ingredient, glacier water sourced from the Andes. The final stage in our process is to drip filter the vodka over 3 days. This is done through two components: 1) an activated carbon taken from coconuts and used to purify drinking water; 2) volcanic stone sourced from the volcano located next to the aforementioned quinoa farm.

The U.S. spirits market is projected to grow [at least] 23.6% over a 5 year period (Source). It totaled $90 billion in 2019 (Source).

More specifically, the vodka market generated $6.6 billion in the U.S. alone in 2019 (Source). The fastest-growing sector was premium vodka, with 2019 growth of more than 2.9% (Source). The global vodka market is forecast to reach $54.81 billion by 2024 (Source).

Market research also shows that more consumers are seeking novel and little-known products that have a story and carry an emotional appeal. People also want to feel a sense of the raw materials and heritage of what they’re consuming.  They want to feel like they’re having an exclusive, bespoke experience, considering a 15.3% growth rate over month during 2018 - 2019 for imported spirits (Source). 

The distinct flavor of this premium quinoa vodka has already put it on the map with a gold medal win at the 2020 China Wine and Spirits Awards, the largest such competition in Hong Kong/China. Quri also won silver medals in USA Spirits Ratings, the 2020 New York International Spirits Competition and the 2020 Bartender Spirits Awards. 

At the New York International Spirits Competition, we also won Peruvian Distillery of the Year.

We’ll hit the market running with digital marketing and retail sales through online channels, including our website and other online retailers. 

Because Quri is a high-quality product with a sleek bottle design at a reasonable price of $27.50 per bottle, we believe our targeted ads on social media will draw in many interested consumers. Our objective at the moment is to drive traffic to our brand website and acquire leads for future direct marketing initiatives.

Our distribution sales efforts will begin with retailers and bars/restaurants in the south Florida region. Once we’ve built our reputation and gained a foothold there, we will expand our efforts nationally through a dedicated sales team by 2022. At this time, we’ll also pursue various international online retailers. 

By 2024, our hope is to have our product on shelves in major grocery retailers and outlets. Our goal will be to sell 25,000 cases annually.

Founder and CEO Jonathan Tourgee knows how to launch a liquor brand. He has already successfully launched two brands with national distribution in Peru: Tourgee Gin and Indie Spirit, a ready-to-drink cocktail brand. Jonathan created the Quri recipe from scratch in his own kitchen, and he’s dedicated to bringing Quri’s story to consumers across the globe.

Prior to launching Quri Vodka, Jonathan had professional experience in Chemical Engineering, with a focus in BioChemical Engineering.  He has extensive experience consulting for top fortune 500 companies designing, engineering, and managing major projects.  

Chief Financial Officer, Courtney Myers excels at brewery and distillery growth strategy. Courtney was formerly the director of operations at Small Batch Standard, a national brewery and distillery consulting firm, before moving into his current role as a successful financial consultant. During his time there, he worked with several operating breweries and distilleries in sales forecasting, budgeting, accounting, and financial advising.

Supporting the communities we live in and work with is important to us at Quri, and we believe this work will help us reach and resonate with socially-conscious consumers.

Quri translates to gold in the ancient Incan language, Quechua. The Incans referred to quinoa as the golden grain, due to its color and rich nutritional value. Our bottle design and packaging are inspired by these cultural influences. 

Quri is also dedicated to helping the communities of the Andes. It has pledged to donate 5% of its profits to Peruvian Hearts, a non-profit organization that helps young women in the Andes gain access to quality education.

Quri is one of only three quinoa-based vodkas in the world. From quinoa chocolate to quinoa chips, people love this grain for its taste, health benefits and gluten-free appeal. Quri capitalizes on that devotion by offering a vodka with a distinct taste and mouthfeel. 

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In addition to our unique spirit source and discernible taste and mouthfeel, we believe Quri is a socially conscious brand people will be excited to associate themselves with. We work directly with farmers in the Cajamarca and Puno regions of Peru, supplying us with high-quality grains and ensuring fair pay for the people who are so vital to our product.

Our distilling process is highly unique in comparison to other vodkas; distillation processes. We process our batches in 45-gallon fermenters, the smallest batch process you will find in a commercial distillery. Smaller batches allow for better control and the ability to ensure every drop is perfect. 

We are offering a product that we believe is one-of-a-kind from beginning to end. Our product and origin story is tied to our deep connection with our community. Ultimately we believe our final product offers a different experience for consumers than any other vodka out there.

In an expanding market, we are a premium spirit with ancient roots. Join us in our journey to bring our product from the ancient soil of Peru to glasses worldwide.